What is the best electric weed eater?

Whipping weeds on a person’s property is a necessary evil of home lawn maintenance. For years, homeowners have looked for the ultimate solution to the sometimes painstaking task of cutting wayward weeds around the house. Gas motor trimmers were the tool of choice for years, easily chopping down even the thickest of underbrush and out-of-control weeds.

Still, many consumers didn’t like having to mix the gas and oil on a 2-cycle trimmer and the vibrating was a lot to handle over long trimming sessions. Along came the battery powered weed whipper, which was lighter and quieter but less powerful and had poor battery life overall. It seems that corded trimmers would be the link between gas and battery powered units, providing convenient use while at the same time running for longer periods of time.

Off the bat, the biggest disadvantage of a plug-in string trimmer is the nuisance of dragging around the cord. This isn’t a problem if the trimming only needs to be done in a small patch close to an outdoor outlet. When the user starts running extension cord off of extension cord throughout the front and back yard it represents a real safety hazard. There are some reasons that corded trimmers are both popular, and at the same time not yet the industry leaders.

However, finding the best electric weed eater can be tough, so we’ve put together this guide to help you find electric string trimmer that fits your face.

Advantages of corded trimmers

Lightweight – Corded trimmers are the lightest model available overall. They don’t require an internal combustion motor which is the main source of weight in gas trimmers and they also are free of batteries, which are heavier than they seem in cordless trimmers. Combined with lightweight aluminum shafts, the weight of corded trimmers are sometimes only 4 or 5 pounds.

Quiet – Much like their battery counterparts, the sound emitted from a corded electric trimmer is minimal. This enables early morning or late night trimming at optimum electricity meter hours without disrupting neighbors.

Powerful – As the battery on a cordless trimmer starts dying, a sole blade of glass presents a challenge to be cut. A trimmer plugged into a wall outlet on the other hand emits maximum power the entire time it’s used.

Efficient – Battery trimmer users know they’ll probably have to recharge or put in a new battery 2 or 3 times for a complete lawn weed whipping. Even gas weed wacker users acknowledge they have to mix the fuel and oil and refill the tank from time to time. As long as a corded trimmer has enough slack and a clear path it can cut for the entire time without delay.

Disadvantages of corded trimmers

Cord – Again, if manufacturers could invent a way to provide the power output and lightweight capacity of a plug-in trimmer without the cord or battery they’d have a product for the ages but that doesn’t seem likely. The cord is the main nuisance for an otherwise great product, limiting the cutting length to the cord’s reach.

Cutting Power – Some experts would argue that the lack of cutting power is a downfall of the plug-in string trimmer. While no string trimmer can match the cutting strength of a gas weed wacker, no responsible consumer would expect that. Somebody running a commercial lawn care business would never rely on a plug-in trimmer and neither would a homeowner with large acreage to maintain.

Need a Power Source – Even consumers of whom the corded trimmer is produced for, those with small lawns and limited back strength, may find themselves unable to use the product because they don’t have an outdoor power supply.

The trimmer is relatively light, weighing in at under 10 pounds making it easy to navigate through the yard.

The Greenworks 21142 is a multi-functional piece of equipment, switching to an edger, tiller, pole saw, or blower with extra attachments.

Besides being lightweight, Greenworks has integrated other ergonomic features into the trimmer including a cushioned and mold-grip comfort handle and an extra auxiliary handle for better navigating. The ease of use continues with the bump feed head that extends the cutting line with a quick tap on the ground.

What Other Users Are Saying – The reviews are positive for the Greenworks 21142, with most Amazon users giving it 4 or 5 stars. Consumers were more than happy with the power output of the unit and were satisfied with the reliable start of the electric trimmer that you don’t always get with a gas or even battery powered string trimmer. The roughly $80 price is very feasible, especially since a person doesn’t need to purchase fuel or the sometimes expensive batteries.

Toro 51480

The Toro 51480 model is specifically designed for smaller jobs or as an auxiliary trimmer.

14″ cutting width

5 amp motor that packs enough punch for standard lawn trimming

weighs only 7 pounds which makes it an ideal product for almost anybody

The Toro 51480 is just as suitable for edging as it is trimming with an easily adjustable head that flips sideways in seconds. The aluminum telescopic shaft also features an adjustable handle for better control while edging and the unit can be operated in walk behind mode for a comfortable, relaxed cut. The trimmer also has a unique push button string feed that feeds line on command instead of hitting the unit on the ground or installing string manually.

A 2-year warranty and an approximate $60 listing price makes the Toro 51480 retail very user-friendly.

What Other Users Are Saying – Reviews are positive thus far for the Toro 51480 as users are thrilled with the durable and rugged feel of the trimmer. Most people are satisfied with the power, as users know what they’re getting with a 5 amp motor. A few consumers even stated that the 51480 was able to cut through some sprouting tree saplings that they didn’t think it could conquer. Overall the assembly was easy and a majority of purchasers are happy with their $60 trimmer.

Rounding out the corded trimmer overview

As with most outdoor lawncare equipment, a homeowner has to determine feasibility. Obviously a zero-turn lawn mower would be great to have but isn’t really feasible to a person with ¼ of an acre of grass to cut. Likewise, a push mower should probably be upgraded if 6 or 7 acres of land needs to be maintained.

The same argument is made in regards to string trimmers – if a homeowner has minimal land that needs weed whipped, a plug-in trimmer is a great, inexpensive product. On the other hand, it’s asking a lot of the device to trim all sides of the house up to 200 feet from the power supply.